With the help of 15-year-old girl who was shot and left for dead, police were able to catch the man accused of shooting the teen because he thought she knew too much about the high jacking of a UPS driver in East St. Louis.

"She was shot in the back and in the base of her skull. She is alive and doing OK. It's a Christmas miracle that she escaped with her life," said St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly.

Cahokia Police Lt. Dennis Plew said the girl was able to tell police who shot her.

Anthony T. Moore, 20, was charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting on Wednesday.

On Saturday, Moore was charged with aggravated vehicular high jacking, armed robbery and aggravated kidnapping in connection with the UPS robbery that occurred on Monday in East St. Louis.

Moore's girlfriend, Victoria Walker, 23, also was charged with the attempted murder of the teen.

Plew gave this account of what happened to the girl in Cahokia:

He said Moore believed the teen knew about the UPS robbery. Her name was not released because she is a juvenile and a victim.

"We received a call at 3 a.m. Wednesday to respond to the victim's house in reference to a victim with gunshot wounds," Plew said.

The suspect had taken the juvenile victim to a ditch a few blocks from her home and police believe he stood over her and shot her in her back and the base of her head, Plew said.

Moore left the victim, who was a friend of Walker's, for dead.

Moore and Walker were captured by police about 10 a.m. Thursday at a residence in the 1300 block of St. Louis Avenue in East St. Louis.

Walker is originally from Cahokia but was living in East St. Louis. She and Moore pair have a baby together, police said.

Plew said Moore had addresses all over including Cahokia, East St. Louis, Belleville and O'Fallon.

Moore, who was on the St. Clair County Sheriff's Department's Top 10 Most Wanted list for plenty of outstanding felony warrants, was being held in the St. Clair County Jail on Saturday in lieu of $1.5 million bail.

Walker was being held in the jail in lieu of $500,000 bail.

East St. Louis Police Chief Michael Floore described what happened to the UPS driver:

The driver was making deliveries about 1 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of North 22nd Street in East St. Louis when a man wearing a ski mask jumped aboard the van and pointed a gun. The delivery man was forced to drive to 37th Street and Caseyville Avenue, where the masked gunman used a cellphone to make a call.

A blue van pulled up. Its driver and the robber unloaded most of the UPS van.

The UPS driver, whose name was not released, was not hurt.

Prior to the UPS robbery, police were looking to arrest Moore on outstanding warrants.

These charges include a four-count warrant for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute it, a three-count warrant that charged him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and felony warrant for domestic battery.

Plew had nothing but praise for all of the hard work of investigators.

"Everybody worked tirelessly on this case. And, we appreciate their hard work and dedication," Plew said.

A joint police investigation involving the Cahokia Police Department, Illinois State Police, the U.S. Marshals Service and the St. Clair County State's Attorney's office led to the charges being filed, Plew said.

"Together we have been able to get a very dangerous individual off of the streets," Floore said. "We thank everyone involved for their assistance. We want the community to know we are working to make the city safe for them. We also want UPS and other people doing business in East St. Louis to know that together with our police partners we will make the streets safe for them."

Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at 618-239-2503.

Contact reporter Carolyn P. Smith at 618-239-2503.